"Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" is a 1950s song written by Clyde Otis and Murray Stein. Originally titled "You've Got What It Takes", the song was first recorded by Brook Benton's sister, Dorothy Pay, in 1958, as the B-side of her single "Strollin' with My Baby" on Mercury 71277. In August 1959, Brook Benton partnered with Dinah Washington to record the song as "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)". Their version, released in January 1960, was hugely successful on both the pop and R&B charts, reaching No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.1 on the Hot R&B sides chart for ten weeks, becoming one of the most successful R&B singles of the 1960s. The song was also featured on their 1960 duet album, The Two of Us. Piano was by Joe Zawinul and Belford Hendricks was the arranger and conductor.

Charts

Dinah Washington and Brook Benton

Later versions